Do not force the mouth open
Look only if the dog is comfortable and cooperative. Photograph the tooth from outside the lips in good light. Note when the change appeared and whether the dog recently chewed antlers, bones, hard nylon, rocks, crates or other rigid objects. Pain can make even a gentle dog defensive.
Change what the tooth has to handle
Remove hard chews, tugging and objects that caused the injury. Offer food in the form the veterinary clinic recommends when you call. Do not apply human tooth repair material, numbing gel, aspirin, clove oil or leftover antibiotics. Human pain medicines can be dangerous to dogs.
The visible crown is only part of the tooth
A veterinary dental examination and dental radiographs may be needed to understand damage below the gum line. Treatment depends on which tooth is involved, depth of injury, pulp exposure, root condition and time since fracture. Cleaning the visible surface cannot treat disease inside the tooth.
Move quickly when the mouth is bleeding or swollen
Seek prompt care for pulp exposure, facial swelling, discharge, a foul odor, pawing at the mouth or dropping food. Active uncontrolled bleeding, facial trauma, inability to close the mouth, breathing difficulty or collapse requires urgent care.
Color changes are worth photographing
A fresh fracture may show a pale inner layer or a pink or red point where the pulp is exposed. A tooth that later turns gray, purple or brown may also be damaged even if the crown still looks whole. Use the same angle and light for comparison, but do not delay an appointment while waiting to see whether the color changes again.
Tell the clinic which tooth appears affected and when the dog was last known to chew normally. Include previous dental procedures and any face rubbing, sneezing, nasal discharge or swelling beneath an eye. Those details help the team plan the examination and imaging; they cannot establish from a photograph whether the root and surrounding bone are healthy.
Until the appointment, keep play calm enough to avoid impacts to the mouth. If a tooth fragment is found, place it in a clean container and ask the clinic whether to bring it. Never try to glue or reposition the fragment yourself.
Bad breath without a visible fracture remains on the senior bad breath page when age is central. Puppy tooth changes belong to the teething timeline. This article owns traumatic or suspected structural damage to a permanent tooth.